IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa approved a plan Wednesday to name the field at Kinnick Stadium after Duke Slater.
Slater was the first Black student-athlete in the school's history to become an All-America and the first Black lineman in the NFL. He is also set to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August.
An All-American at Iowa, Slater created running room in the NFL for such stars as Ernie Nevers and Jim Thorpe, and he was named an All-Pro three times.
The only game he missed in his 10 NFL seasons, against the Kansas City Blues, was due to a league agreement preventing Black athletes from playing in Missouri.
After Slater retired, the league imposed a ban on Black players that lasted until 1946. He died in 1966 at age 67.
The school will recognize Slater and former Hawkeye Alex Karras, also a member of the 2020 Centennial Class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, during Iowa’s game against Pennsylvania State University on Oct. 9.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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